Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has acknowledged the difficulty of fully expelling Russian forces and hinted at a potential negotiated settlement, particularly as Donald Trump's presidency looms.
A dramatic shift in tone by Ukraine's president - acknowledging the strength of Russia's hold over swathes of Ukrainian territory - has coincided with the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House. The incoming US commander-in-chief has said he can end Russia's war in Ukraine in a day - though without saying how. One thing is certain, however; his approach will be very different to Joe Biden's.
Mr Trump has already signalled he disapproves of allowing Ukraine to launch longer-range American ballistic missiles against targets inside Russia - a sign that crucial US military support to Ukrainian forces could be about to be reduced or even end altogether. For Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he is fast adapting to the new reality his country is facing. His government wasn't a huge fan of Mr Biden but he was at least significantly more predictable than his replacement - and consistent in his condemnation of Vladimir Putin. Then again, Mr Trump's unpredictability could be used to Ukraine's advantage when dealing with Moscow. The new president will not want to look soft or weak as he seeks to push the two sides into a deal. Into this mix, Mr Zelenskyy has notably altered his language when describing how the conflict could end. Previously there was no suggestion of negotiations with Moscow which didn't involve the complete withdrawal of Russian forces. Now, however, the Ukrainian president has started to voice what he and his Western allies have known for a long time - that Russia's entrenched positions are impossible to shift with the current level of Western support and Ukrainian fighting capability. Mr Zelenskyy first signalled his new approach in an interview with Sky News's Stuart Ramsay, when he said for the first time that Kyiv wants NATO membership for the parts of Ukraine under government control and would wait to regain the rest through diplomacy. In an interview this week with France's Le Parisien newspaper, he went further. 'We cannot give up our territories', he said, 'but we also cannot win the war militarily.' This shift in tone reflects a growing acceptance in Kyiv that a negotiated settlement may be the only way out of the conflict.
UKRAINE RUSSIA DONALD TRUMP VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY WAR NEGOTIATIONS NATO
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